To make our recommendations, we’ve drawn on years of research, including two reader surveys focused on refrigerators. Here are the factors we prioritize most:
Owner satisfaction: Our picks focus on the brands and the models that in our research earned the highest ratings for long-term satisfaction. In our 2023 survey, 75.5% of respondents who owned LG refrigerators were satisfied with their appliance, and 71.1% of GE Appliances owners were satisfied. (No other brand surpassed the 70% mark; Whirlpool came in third, with 69% satisfaction.)
Overall, most fridges, regardless of brand or style, perform reliably: Our 2021 and 2023 surveys showed that while any refrigerator could fail, major problems, such as compressor failures and other cooling issues, are rare.
Layout: The interior storage is similar in most side-by-side fridges. They typically feature two stacked plastic crisper drawers on the bottom and three adjustable glass fridge shelves; we consider anything beyond one or two slots for adjusting shelf height a bonus. Some more expensive models have a third, top drawer for meats, cheeses, or snacks. (In our research, we’ve found that this is one perk that a lot of side-by-side owners wish they had.) Side-by-side fridge doors usually have at least four pockets, some of which accommodate the largest containers of milk or juice; typically, at least three pockets are adjustable. We also take note of small, singular details (a butter keeper in the door, for example) that owners often appreciate.
The freezer compartment of a side-by-side looks like a narrow bookshelf, with a few open shelves, compartments, and door pockets, as well as, typically, an ice maker and a through-the-door dispenser. Any additional flexibility or shelving is a plus.
Most side-by-side refrigerators have glass shelving with slim supports where they meet the compartment walls—this design looks streamlined but tends to feel fragile. We consider any extra stability a plus.
Airflow: Side-by-side refrigerators have a side-mounted freezer. This style cycles cold air from the freezer compartment through the fridge at the top and bottom of the refrigerator (video). Some models, such as our top pick, incorporate design elements that maximize the flow of cool air. We consider this a plus, as airflow issues (at the top of the refrigerator in particular) seem to be a common complaint with side-by-side fridges in our reader surveys and among customer reviews.
A door-in-door feature: Some side-by-side fridges have an exterior panel on one door that pops open to reveal a compartment, typically for beverages or snacks, that you can access without opening the main fridge. Theoretically, a door-in-door compartment may make a fridge more efficient, since you’re likely to open the main door less often (video) as a result. And people find it convenient: In our 2021 survey and research, owners of fridges with a door-in-door feature reported using it more frequently than they had expected.
An even newer style of fridge—sometimes called a quad or a four-door—is a hybrid of side-by-side and French-door styles, with two half-width freezers on the bottom, one of which generally has a broader range of temperature control. We’re just beginning to research these models.
Capacity: Measured in cubic feet, capacity is the amount of fillable space in your fridge and freezer. Our 2021 refrigerator-owner surveys showed that bigger fridges tend to make people happier than smaller models, but happiness levels off above 20 cubic feet (about the size of the average basic top-freezer refrigerator). For this guide, we decided to focus on 36-inch side-by-sides with at least 25 cubic feet of capacity, which our research shows is more than ample for most households; we like models that can offer more than that in an elegant way. (The 33-inch versions we recommend have at least 22 cubic feet of capacity.)
Ice makers, dispensers, and water filtration: Most side-by-sides have a compact ice maker in the freezer compartment, which feeds into the through-the-door dispenser. A few models put the ice maker in the freezer door. Ice makers take up some storage space in either location. (We have recommendations of both styles.) Despite their ubiquity and convenience, ice makers and dispensers are still a primary “point of failure” in a fridge, said Dan Conrad, an appliance reliability and testing expert at the commercial refrigeration company Hussmann. They’re likely to be drippy and noisy, need repairs or costly parts, work poorly, or stop functioning altogether. And they require a water-line connection. Dispensers also tend to look outdated faster—and show wear and tear more quickly—than the rest of a fridge.
Still, all but one of our picks come with a through-the-door dispenser; the vast majority of side-by-side fridges have one. In making our selections, we prioritized models that integrated dispensers most efficiently and attractively, and for which our research didn’t reveal an egregious level of complaints. Unlike some French-door or top-freezer fridges, side-by-sides don’t come with internal water dispensers, which we prefer. (A dispenser, however, may make it easier to access ice, since the ice maker in most side-by-sides is generally located at the top of the freezer.)
Energy efficiency and environmental-friendliness: We focus primarily on fridges that are Energy Star certified. This is an especially important factor for side-by-side models, which are typically less efficient than French-door versions with comparable capacity. (Both styles use more energy than top-freezer fridges.) These models usually have insulation designed to keep more cold air inside the fridge, as well as more sophisticated—and more expensive—components designed to work more efficiently. Compressors, which power the flow of refrigerant through the refrigerator and freezer, rank among the most important of these components. Traditional compressors essentially have just one, high speed. More advanced styles are variable-speed models, which means they can change their speed based on how much cooling your fridge actually needs, whether that’s a little (when you open the fridge to grab a drink) or a lot (when you load it up with still-warm leftovers).
Nearly all new refrigerators use climate-friendly R600a refrigerant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If the refrigerant leaks, it’ll have no effect on the ozone layer and a negligible effect on global warming.
Noise: A clear trend in our 2021 and 2023 refrigerator-owner surveys indicated that many fridges are noisy—and it bugs people. Unlike in the French-door category, where we found clear leaders in terms of quietness, we saw no real side-by-side standouts in this regard. But our picks employ designs or components that our research shows are typically a bit quieter, such as variable-speed compressors.
Smart-home technology and Wi-Fi connectivity: Unlike French-door fridges, few side-by-sides come with smart features (only one of our picks is connected). We’d like to see more: Fridges are an ideal appliance to monitor remotely via a smartphone or tablet because they must operate continuously. With a connected fridge, you can get remote alerts if it fails or if a door is ajar (a common problem with side-by-side models), you can change temperature or ice-maker settings, you can get diagnostics to help service technicians diagnose issues remotely, and you can even pair your refrigerator with some types of home-energy efficiency systems.
